Defying Gravity snapshot: And Baby Makes Three
by bouquineuse
Summary: Set in the Defying Gravity universe, the Berry/St.James household is about to have a new addition. rry with Kurt and Blaine.


Defying Gravity snapshot: And Baby Makes Three

It was intermission and, as per usual, Jesse reached for his phone to call Rachel. Even though the baby wasn't due for a few more weeks, he worried about her. The doctors had assured them that there was no reason to believe there would be the same problems with this child as there had been with Ryan (hers and Finn's child), but still Jesse knew the thought always lurked in the back of her mind. Though her pregnancy had been relatively easy, the "what if something goes wrong" thought had made it not as happy as it might have otherwise been.

Truth be told, he had his reservations about having children. First was his concern for Rachel. If she lost this child too she'd be devastated. Secondly, he worried that he'd lose her. True most women these days survived giving birth, but it could still happen and that was something he didn't think he'd be able to deal with. He was all for epic romance, but epic tragedy? That was not something he ever wished to experience in real life. His final concern was that he'd be an inadequate or worse yet, a bad father. Lord knows his own family were the poster family for dysfunctional. What if he turned out to be just like his father?

By the time his doubts had solidified in his mind Rachel was already pregnant-what could he say, they were both overachievers- so he had never voiced his fears. Instead he had pushed all those concerns aside because he knew Rachel really wanted a child and he could rarely deny Rachel anything, especially this.

The following months had been a roller-coaster. Rachel Berry in hormonal overdrive had been interesting to say the least. It was a lot like revisiting the Rachel of his teenage years though and so most days Jesse was perfectly capable of dealing with it. Besides he had Kurt and Blaine to spell him off when things got a little out of control, or he was too tired to go out again and track down a food item for some new strange craving Rachel had suddenly developed. Kurt's fashion sense also came in handy for finding or making flattering clothes that suited Rachel's increasing figure and bolstered her self-confidence as her body changed shaped.

Rachel's increasing figure was one of the perks of the pregnancy as far as Jesse was concerned; there was more Rachel to love. But aside from that Jesse never tired of laying his hand on her stomach or of feeling the baby move or kick. One of his favorite times each day was when he and Rachel would lie in bed and sing songs to her belly. Needless to say, music was a constant in the Berry/St. James household throughout the pregnancy.

Jesse snapped out of his thoughts as he realized no one was answering. He was just about to phone Kurt and Blaine, who had the evening shift keeping Rachel company tonight, when Jesse's understudy Rob delivered the message from Kurt. Rachel had gone into labor and they'd taken her to hospital, their doctor was meeting them there.

"There's a cab waiting for you at the stage door, Jesse. Don't worry about anything here, everybody's prepared. Give Rachel our love and don't worry, everything will be okay." Rob said reassuringly.

"But the baby's not due yet!" Jesse felt the panic rise in his chest as he grabbed his jacket and stuffed his cell into a pocket with his wallet. As he rushed out the door, he shouted a belated thanks, hardly hearing the other cast members wishing him and Rachel well.

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Kurt glanced anxiously at the door. Where had the nurses gone? Why wasn't the doctor or Jesse here yet? He gasped as Rachel's grip on his hand tightened once more. He timed the contractions at two minutes apart now and judging by Rachel's moans they were getting stronger. Was labor suppose to go this fast?

Kurt felt helpless, what was he suppose to do? Sure he'd been heavily involved in the decorating of the baby nursery and choosing baby things, but since he was never going to be pregnant he'd zoned out on the entire labor and delivery business when Rachel started talking about all the technical details. Giving birth was messy and painful, that was more than enough to know about it. Yet here he was, the least useful person for this situation, while all the others had either deserted the room or hadn't arrived yet. The evening certainly wasn't going as planned! In hindsight, Kurt realized he should have known something was way off the minute Rachel had greeted them at the door.

_Flashback_

As it was a Wednesday evening, it was their "Barbra night at the movies." Rachel was providing the movie and they were bringing the snacks. Kurt rapped a couple of times on the apartment door and called out "Rachel, we're here," before opening the door with his set of keys.

"Kurt, Blaine! You have perfect timing." Rachel beamed at them from the kitchen, a washrag in hand. "I need you to help me wash the upper kitchen cupboards."

"You want us to wash the kitchen cupboards?" Kurt couldn't prevent the squeak of dismay coupled with disbelief in his voice.

"Just the ones I can't reach, I've already done all the lower ones, and I reorganized the pots and pans while waiting for you to arrive."

Kurt and Blaine exchanged perplexed looks before Blaine ventured a comment. "Does Jesse know you've been housecleaning, Rachel? I mean don't you have a maid service that does that?"

"Yes, we do, but I just felt the need to clean. Right after Jesse left for the matinee performance I started on the bathroom and worked my way to the kitchen. It's very therapeutic and fulfilling somehow." Rachel managed to completely ignore the first part of Blaine's comment as if he'd never voiced it.

"But you're feeling okay?" Kurt ventured uneasily.

"Just fine, well my back has been aching more than usual, and those darn Braxton Hicks contractions are a bit annoying." Suddenly Rachel doubled over and gasped for air.

Kurt and Blaine were immediately at her side. "Are you okay, Rachel?"

"I'm fine. Little one has just been a bit vigorous in the kicking department today. You know I think this baby will either be a dancer or perhaps a circus performer." Rachel winced a bit and then straightened up and rubbed her back. "The next three weeks are going to leave me black and blue on the inside." But she announced it cheerfully; every movement from the baby was reassuring to her.

"I think maybe a tea break might be in order." Blaine announced as he grabbed the kettle; meanwhile Kurt ushered Rachel over to the sofa.

The tea was just ready for pouring when Rachel again gasped in pain. Lines furrowed upon her forehead. "Maybe I did too much today."

As Kurt poured the tea, Blaine surreptitiously kept an eye on the clock. During the next half hour as Kurt regaled Rachel with his day, Blaine kept an observant eye on both Rachel and the time. As the duration of Rachel's periods of pain increased and were now spaced only about four minutes apart he decided it was time to act.

"Rachel, I think perhaps we should go to the hospital. I don't think those are false contractions." Blaine suggested.

Rachel looked at him in dismay. "But the baby isn't due yet!"

"All the more reason to set your mind at ease, don't you think?" Blaine was calm but firm. "I'll get your bag and the baby stuff and Kurt will call a cab, won't you Kurt?"

"Right, good idea and I'll call Jesse too."

"NO! He's performing, even if this is real labor, it will be hours before the baby comes. With Ryan I was in labor for six hours. You can call Jesse later, after the show is over."

"But don't they say that second babies come faster?" Blaine asked. Kurt immediately sent him a 'WTH? How do you know that?' look.

"I've been reading, so sue me." Blaine muttered and headed down the corridor to the nursery to fetch the bags Rachel had had packed and ready for at least a month.

While Blaine got Rachel comfortable in the cab, Kurt pretended he'd forgotten something back in the apartment, and that's when he'd placed a call to the theater. He knew Jesse would want to be there and he knew Rachel secretly wanted him there too. Rachel might be a great actress but Kurt read the fear lurking in her eyes. With his conscience clear he made his way back to the street and hopped into the cab.

By the time Rachel had been admitted and all the forms completed, the labor pains were two and a half minutes apart.

_Present_

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever, though in fact the cabbie had got Jesse there in record time. Once at the hospital it seemed that all the corridors looked the same and in his panic he'd got turned around a few times before he finally made it to labor and delivery. As Jesse burst into Rachel's room he was relieved to see Kurt was there holding Rachel's hand, or rather, Jesse realized as he saw Kurt wince in pain, Rachel was clutching Kurt's. "I am so glad to see you, Jesse" Kurt voiced fervently.

"Rach, I'm here, baby."

Upon seeing her husband, Rachel immediately freed Kurt from her power grip "Jesse!" Rachel wailed.

Jesse was beside her in an instant, his lips upon her forehead as he whispered "Shush, I'm here, it will be okay. Tell me what happened."

Rachel didn't have time to answer as another wave of contractions hit. She grasped Jesse's left hand and gritted her teeth.

"Kurt? Care to fill me in?" It came out as a terse command and Jesse didn't take his eyes off Rachel for a second.

"Everything seems to be fine. The labor nurse just left to get the OB. Rachel is just having the baby earlier and ah, faster than expected." Kurt spoke rapidly all the while inching his way towards the door. "As in much, much faster. Uhm, I think maybe I should leave now, the doctor and nurses are coming this way and well, they seem to think your becoming parents is very imminent. Blaine has gone to get coffee so I'll just go find him and then we'll wait out there. " Kurt waved vaguely to the corridor beyond and made a speedy exit.

"Deserter" Jesse muttered under his breath; nonetheless somewhat reassured by Kurt's parting words.

Within minutes the room was occupied by hospital personnel, but everyone was calm and unperturbed which further reassured Jesse. The next thirty minutes went by in a blur of promptings to push, Rachel's moans and focused breathing, and Jesse whispering encouragement as he stroked her hair and put cool cloths on her forehead. Then suddenly it was over. In spite of arriving a few weeks early, baby St. James passed her initial examination with flying colors and was at last placed in Rachel's waiting arms.

Jesse gazed down in awe at the infant for a few moments before kissing the top of their daughter's tiny head and then Rachel's cheek. Finally the lump in his throat cleared and he was able to say "She's beautiful just like her mother."

Rachel smiled contentedly, her eyes misty with tears. "She's perfect just like her Daddy." At which point the perfect and beautiful Baby St. James opened her perfect tiny mouth and wailed in true diva fashion.

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Three days later, Baby St. James was, as babies go, rather adorable, and happily established in her domain. But her parents still couldn't agree on a name, and Kurt Hummel was ready to kill Jesse or Rachel or himself if he had to listen to one more debate about what to call the baby.

Within 24 hours of the birth of said child, Jesse had vetoed both Barbra and Patti as suitable names. "They don't have the necessary elegance to go with St. James and besides our baby does not look like a Barbra or a Patti," had been Jesse's argument.

As the three sat around the kitchen table, legal documents meticulously laid out on its surface, Rachel was now vehemently rejecting Jesse's suggestion of Angelina. "I don't care how hot you thought Jolie was when you were a horny teenager, the fact is that she's a maneater. No daughter of mine is going to be stigmatized for life because of being called Angelina!"

Jesse rolled his eyes at her but begrudgingly gave up that battle. He knew when Rachel would not budge and this was one of those moments. Angelina was crossed off the list along with his other suggestions of Celeste St. James "Too sibilant!" Ariel St. James "It doesn't flow well lyrically." Melody St. James "obvious and boring."

Bernadette was the only name that they were somewhat in agreement on, but only as a second name.

Finally Kurt could take it no longer. "It's totally ridiculous how two people who harmonize so well in singing and acting together, not to mention in producing a child who already has the lungs of an opera singer, are unable to agree on a name! At this rate she'll be an adult by the time you two agree. Stop all the discord and find some harmony right now because if you two don't, I swear I'll name her!"

Jesse and Rachel turned and stared at Kurt in shock for a moment. They'd completely forgotten he was even there. But as his words sank in, a glimmer of an idea began to form in Rachel's brain.

"Kurt, what was the name of the soloist for the Unitards? You know, the terrifyingly talented sophomore who sang "Buenos Aires" from Evita?" Rachel demanded.

"Harmony." Kurt responded immediately. Between the girl's performance at the NYADA mixer and Sectionals it was not a name he thought he'd ever forget.

"Harmony St. James. Harmony Barbra St. James." Rachel tested out the combinations on her tongue.

"Harmony Bernadette Barbra St. James." Jesse interjected.

In seconds Rachel was out of her chair and settled in Jesse's lap kissing him senseless. Kurt breathed a huge sigh of relief and, while the two lovebirds were otherwise occupied, quickly filled in the name on the necessary legal documents. With a bit of luck, Harmony Bernadette Barbra St. James would finally get her birth certificate.


End file.
